Le Chatelier's Principle states: If a chemical system at equilibrium experiences a change in concentration, pressure, temperature, or volume,then the equilibrium shifts to counter-act the imposed change.
~Or, in other words, if you stress out a system at equilibrium, it tries to go back to the way it was before the stress was introduced!
The Game:
1. Everyone got to play a part! Each person was either an NO2 molecule, an N2O4 molecule, or the stress (pressure).
2. The N2O4 and NO2 start at equilibrium! They are gas molecules, and they spread out all over the room. Some NO2 turns into N204 and some N2O4 turns into NO2, but the ratio between them remains constant.
3. The stress (pressure) acts on the equilibrium, and pushes everyone into one corner.
4. The system wants to decrease the pressure, so it does this by reducing the number of molecules, making fewer moles of particles in the high pressure system! NO2 molecules combine to form N204. (2NO2 --> N204)
5. The pressure has been reduced! Yay!
Le Chatelier's Principle
Le Chatelier's Principle states:
If a chemical system at equilibrium experiences a change in concentration, pressure, temperature, or volume, then the equilibrium shifts to counter-act the imposed change.
~Or, in other words, if you stress out a system at equilibrium, it tries to go back to the way it was before the stress was introduced!
The Game:
1. Everyone got to play a part! Each person was either an NO2 molecule, an N2O4 molecule, or the stress (pressure).
2. The N2O4 and NO2 start at equilibrium! They are gas molecules, and they spread out all over the room. Some NO2 turns into N204 and some N2O4 turns into NO2, but the ratio between them remains constant.
3. The stress (pressure) acts on the equilibrium, and pushes everyone into one corner.
4. The system wants to decrease the pressure, so it does this by reducing the number of molecules, making fewer moles of particles in the high pressure system! NO2 molecules combine to form N204. (2NO2 --> N204)
5. The pressure has been reduced! Yay!
Here's the video I was talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_wiqieC5s
It shows the exact same reaction that all of you were playing out :D